How are we going to do it on a budget

Obviously, we are not the richest pair of travelers, and our world-wide trip isn’t going to be a luxurious one. In fact, it’s going to be quite the opposite, a low-budget one. And when we say low-budget, we really mean it. Even though we have some money saved up, it will not last for long if we splash it around. That’s why we will try to save up for a lot of things. Mainly on things that make the biggest expense. Food, transportation and accommodation.

When it comes to food, we will always try to eat as the locals. Street-food or other local cafeterias are not only cheaper than tourist orientated restaurants, but they also give you a real taste of the place that you are visiting. When able to, we will also try to cook by ourselves.

The transportation is going to be an unavoidable cost, but we will try to cut it down if we can. That means we will go for the cheaper option even if it means the longer one. Walking short distances rather than taking taxis or tuk-tuks. Using public buses and trains rather than car rental and planes to cover bigger distances. Having our mind set on cheap transport, we will nonetheless take a flight occasionally and try not to travel third class with trains.

We will also try to cut the cost of accommodation. If possible, and if we feel comfortable, we will use Couchsurfing. Not only that it offers a free form of accommodation, it’s also a way of traveling through people and not through hotels. It’s a way of cultural exchange and really getting to know the place that you are visiting from a local’s perspective. When Couchsurfing isn’t possible, we will go for the next best thing, hostels. Hostel and smaller hotels can offer an affordable accommodation for a low-budget traveler. It might be less clean than a three-star or more hotel, and it might mean sharing a room/bathroom with somebody, but that’s why it’s cheaper. Having said that, we still have some standards, so when the circumstances really don’t fit with us, we will try to find something else, even if it means spending a bit more.

Apart from food, transport and accommodation, there are also other things that create expense. Things like small luxuries that you can afford back home but can do without while on a low-budget travel. For me personally, that’s smoking. That’s why I see this as a good opportunity to really cut down or hopefully even stop smoking altogether. And for Rea, that will be drinking coffee every morning.

If we want to stretch our trip as far as we can, we will also need a way to get more finances. That’s why we will also try to work, get a short-term or seasonal job to bust our budget if possible. Working to extend our stay somewhere would also be a good option. Especially if it’s in a place worth staying.

This is our tough and rough plan, but let’s see how it works for us once on the road.